1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a portable plastic reservoir device which collects, stores, and dispenses shower waste water for flushing toilets and watering gardens.
2. Description of Prior Art
With the recent occurrence of drought, as well as environmental concerns by the public for ecology and water conservation, there has been an increasing need for a simple and affordable means of reclaiming household waste water for secondary use in flushing toilets and watering gardens. On a daily basis, showers generate a considerable amount of waste water, however, no simple and inexpensive product is currently available on the market for the public to easily collect, store, and use this water.
Currently, there are many items available to the public which reduce toilet water consumption such as low profile/high pressure flush toilets as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,797. Inexpensive inserts are commonly used to displace water volume in the toilet tank such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,737. Still, other systems reclaim sink waste water in combination sink and toilet systems such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,864.
Other published means for the reclamation of gray water by those skilled in the art involve waste water recovery systems such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,924,536, 4,162,218, and 4,030,144 which divert waste water from sewage lines to large storage containers where the water can then be redistributed. Although many designs for these systems are available and could be implemented, the equipment and labor involved in retrofitting existing plumbing systems makes this method of water reclamation cost prohibitive to the general public. Severe water restrictions in numerous areas has forced much of the public to find other methods of reclaiming shower waste water for a second use.
The most common method used by the public for reclaiming shower waste water is one in which the basin drain is blocked prior to running the water; when the shower is completed the water collected within the shower/tub basin is bailed out with a small bucket and transferred into a larger container. The bailing involved is not only laborious and time consuming, but most people find working in dirty water unpleasant after having just gotten clean. For flushing a toilet, the water must be transferred out of the larger storage container into the smaller bucket from which the water can then be poured. The rate at which water is poured from a bucket is not easily controllable and may result in splashing up of toilet bowl water on the floor or the person.
Siphoning with a hose and a manual pump is another method used for transferring the water out of the blocked shower/tub basin. Although this method is somewhat less messy than bailing, some amount of time and work are still required for operating the manual pump. If siphoning is performed without the use of a pump, i.e. gravity feed, the water is usually transferred by hose to a barrel or larger container situated outside at a lower point of elevation.
Electrical sump pumps, used commonly for fluid handling in ornamental fountains, water falls, and fish tanks, are not only costly, but pose a hazardous potential for electric shock should a pump be defective or abused by persons. Cost, and especially liability considerations, restrict the use of sump pump systems, electrical cords, and appliances for fluid transfer in this application.
There exists a need by the general public for a simple and affordable means of collecting, storing, and using shower waste water for flushing toilets and watering gardens.